Can the Cloud Save Small Business Owners Money? How?

When it comes to saving money with cloud computing, the benefits for small businesses outweigh the drawbacks in terms of cost of implementation, access, maintenance, upgrades, IT infrastructure, security, and more.  A few of the ways that cloud computing saves small business owners money include:

Lower Initial Investment: If you already have a PC which is connected to the Internet, most small businesses can start using cloud solutions without investing in new hardware, software, or expanding the IT staff. This is a primary advantage that has widespread appeal regardless of the size of your business and your type of industry.

Reduced Management Costs: Could computing solutions do not require additional power requirements or space considerations.  Additionally, small businesses do not have spend money on extra training since it is not necessary for the end user to learn the underlying technology in order to use the applications.  Also, maintenance costs and updates are virtually non-existent since the cloud service provider assumes this responsibility.

Lower Utility Costs: IT infrastructure which is maintained in-house requires costly cooling systems and power requirements.  Since the IT infrastructure is maintained by the cloud provider, this significantly reduces utility costs for small businesses.

Reduced Upgrade Costs:  Upgrading to a new software version no longer involves hundreds of dollars not to mention the waiting period required for the release of the next version.  Instead, the upgrades are automatically performed by the cloud service provider and usually without any interruption or interference with cloud services being delivered to a small business.

Scalability:  With a conventional IT infrastructure in-house, it is necessary to add hardware and software as a business grows.  On the flip side, if the business has periods of fluctuation, this results in wasted resources which are costly to maintain.  Scalability saves small businesses money since the solutions can easily change on the fly as your business changes.

Finally, a cloud service provider should provide the proper maintenance and support for your small business.  This frees up time for your IT staff to focus on important initiatives that contribute to business growth and profitability.